Clark Island in Sydney Harbour will be turned into mecca for all things wine and food this November as part of the inaugural Wine Island Festival.
Spanning over three days, the festival will boast an impressive line-up of winemakers, sommeliers and chefs who will showcase some of the best food and wine that the nation has to offer through wine cellar door experiences, gourmet food huts, a VIP Island Bar and complimentary master classes hosted by Wine Australia.
Wineries that have signed up for the event thus far include: Koonara Wines (SA), Mr Riggs (SA), The Lane (SA), Olivers Taranga (SA), All Saints Estate (VIC), and Voyager Estate (WA).
Two New Zealand wineries, Mt Difficulty (NZ) and Clark Estate (NZ), will also be showcasing their wares as well as Sydney boutique brewers, Young Henrys.
Wine writer and Wine Island sommelier, Samantha Payne will host the VIP Island Bar alongside some of Australia’s top sommeliers including Rebecca Lines from Bar H, Gabrielle Webster from Love Tilly Devine, Chris Morrison from Keystone Hospitality Group and James Audas from the soon to be opened Silvereye Restaurant.
Food wise, Bar H, Applejack Hospitality Group (The Butler, Bondi Hardware, SoCal, The Botanist), Oysters Unplugged, Huon Aquaculture and The Hunter Valley Cheese Factory will offer visitors a taste of their signature restaurant dishes and produce.
Wine Island Festival founder and director, Kristen Francis says that the festival is a first of its kind for Clark Island and Sydney Harbour.
“We are in the unique position of taking over an island and transforming it into our own kind of paradise for three days,” says Francis. “There is no other food and wine festival in Sydney like it, making it a must for this year’s social calendar.”
